31 May - Auschwitz II-Birkenau

We first visited the area of the Theresienstandt Family Camp and the quarantine area. We peered into the gates of the prison in a prison set up for potential escapees and political opponents all who would only survive for two weeks in the double security brick compound. Each area had small tributes left by visitors. The train tracks had floral tributes and wreaths made of pine cones which represented the surrounding forest. Ribbons woven into the tributes had messages written in Italian, Hungarian, Russian, and Polish. This reflected just some of the nations and languages of those murdered at Auschwitz.

31 May - Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau

We returned to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau at 3:00 am to begin the second stage of the Auschwitz series.
Chumiecki brought his three specialized cameras including a Nikon fitted with an Infra Red lens. His goal was to capture dawn, symbolizing the new era that came after World War II.
The theme was reinforced by the sights and sounds of nature! The rainy, damp morning was greeted by a chorus of crickets, cuckoos,and chirping birds masked in the haze. We were escorted by the night guard who unlocked buildings, grounds, and towers for us.
Each turn of the road found red fox passing under the barbed wire, red deer darting across the fields, and a lone stork. The most impressive and symbolic sight was the flock of white seagulls on the roads that flank the railway tracks which brought the inmates to the camp. As we approached the gulls took off in flight, like the souls of those murdered at Birkenau.